Roasted Beet Salad {A Meatless Monday Recipe

Roasting beets concentrates the sweetness and transforms the vegetable into a warm, melt-in-your-mouth treat. Try this roasted beet salad for Meatless Monday!

This roasted beet salad is the bomb!

The beets are roasted until sweet and tender and then tossed with crisp fresh spring mix greens, tangy feta cheese, thinly sliced red onion, and candied walnuts. Just before serving, drizzle the salad with a maple balsamic vinaigrette.

A lot of people do not like beets. I have always liked beets, especially with vinegar, salt, and fresh cracked black pepper on them.

I grew up eating them poured over cabbage boiled with a ham hock. My mama and daddy grew them in their garden, and mama canned them so we could enjoy them all year long. I never realized how much better fresh beets or home-canned beets were until I grew up and left home.

The canned beets from the grocery store have NOTHING on the taste of a fresh roasted beet. In fact, David did not eat them until he met me and ate them like I did growing up with vinegar, salt, and pepper.

I made this delicious salad last week for Meatless Monday. Let me show you how I made it.

Ingredients Needed To Make This Salad

This Roasted beet salad uses minimal ingredients that are versatile and based on what you like best. The recipe card at the end of this post contains the full ingredient list and measurements.

The Salad:

Beets: You’ll need four medium beets, about 2-3 inches in diameter. You’ll need to wash them with a vegetable brush and trim the stem off and trim off the root end. Save the beet greens for the salad or to use later.

Onion: Thinly slice the red onion so that it isn’t toothy. I like to use red onion because it is mild. Use whatever onion you have on hand or prefer.

Lettuce: In late fall and winter, I crave spring mix to get a variety of leafy greens because they do not seem as cold and watery as romaine or iceberg lettuce. Any lettuce works for this salad. Use your favorite.

Cheese: I use plain creamy goat cheese for this salad because I love its texture. If you don’t have goat cheese or don’t like it, use crumbled feta or ricotta cheese.

Toasted Nuts: David and I always have walnuts on hand, but you could use any variety of nuts or mixture of nuts that you prefer. Toasting any nut will give it more flavor in the salad, so don’t forget that part.

The Dressing:

For this salad, I make homemade Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette made of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, and cinnamon, seasoned with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. The recipe is in the recipe card. You can substitute for any dressing you prefer.

How To Make Roasted Beet Salad

The secret to this salad is roasting the beets, so they are sweet and tender and toasting the nuts to make them nuttier and more flavorful. The recipe at the end of this post contains detailed instructions on how to make this salad.

Prepare, Roast, and Slice the Beets

• Rinse the beets under cold running water and scrub off the dirt with a vegetable brush. Trim off the greens. I don’t care for them because they tend to be a little too bitter, but you can wash and trim them for the salad or save them for another time if you like them.
• Wrap the beets in foil and roast them on a sheet pan in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for about an hour, depending on thickness. Use a toothpick to determine doneness.
• Remove the beets from the oven, carefully open the foil packets, and let them cool.
• Once the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them by rubbing them with a paper towel. Slice, dice, or quarter them as desired. 

Toast the Walnuts

Pour the walnuts into a cold, dry skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the nuts, frequently tossing, until browned in spots and fragrant. 

Prepare the Vinaigrette

While the beets roast in the oven, prepare the dressing.

• Put all the ingredients into a glass jar or bottle with a lid. Place the lid on and shake well to mix. Shake well before using. Alternatively, you could whisk them together in a small bowl.

Assemble the Salad

Add the beets, red onion, and greens into serving bowls, top with the goat cheese and walnuts, and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Tips for Making Roasted Beet Salad

• Make Ahead:  Beets can be roasted and peeled 2-3 days in advance as long as you keep air away from them. Refrigerate inside a plastic bag or air-tight container in the refrigerator until needed. The vinaigrette can be combined 3-4 days in advance and refrigerated but will keep for up to a week.
• Rubber Gloves: put on rubber gloves to keep your hands from being stained when handling the beets.
• Cool the Beets: Cooling the beets for at least 20-30 minutes will make removing the skin easier.
• Use a Sheet Pan: Place the wrapped beets on a sheet pan to ensure the beet juice doesn’t leak into your oven.

Recipe FAQs

I hope this recipe will get you to try something good and healthy!

Making roasted beet salad? We’d love your feedback. Leave us a comment and a star rating below. We value your opinion and appreciate your time.

See ya on the mountain!

This post has been updated and was originally published on December 15, 2014.